Controlled environment tent

ABSTRACT

A CONTROLLED ENVIROMENT TENT HAVING A MECHANICAL REFRIGERATION SYSTEM WITH REMOVABLE AND STERILIZABLE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS.

Janfs, 1 971 I J.-D.'VQALEN'YI'A v 3,552,141

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT TENT Fild July 19, 1968' I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR JAME S D. VALE NTA.

' ATTORNEY Filed July 19, 1968 CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT TENTz'sneets-sheet 2 INVENTOR JAMES D. VALENTA ATTORNEY United States Patent3,552,141 CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT TENT James D. Valenta, Madison, Wis.,assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., acorporation of New York Filed July 19, 1968, Ser. No. 746,202 Int. Cl.A61m 16/02 US. Cl. 62-407 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Acontrolled environment tent having a mechanical refrigeration systemwith removable and sterilizable heat exchange apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for thetreatment of respiratory ailments, as for example, in the treatment ofcroup.

Prior art apparatus of this type has provided humidity and temperaturecontrol of the environment in which the patient is enclosed with desiredintroduction of medicament whereby the relative humidity is generallyincreased while the temperature is decreased.

Since the same humidification and refrigeration apparatus is utilizedwith subsequent patients, the prior art apparatus has also attempted tofacilitate removal of this apparatus for cleaning and sterilization toprevent crosscontamination.

However, in this attempt, the cooling means has been merely anice-bucket which would be removed and treated or replaced for each newpatient. The major problem with using ice as a coolant is theinsufiiciency of the cooling effect. Mechanical refrigeration systems,on the other hand, provide a sufficient cooling effect but inherentlyresult in a more difficult cleaning and sterilization procedure.

Applicant has solved the latter problem in his present invention byproviding a mechanical refrigeration system which has an easilyremovable and autoclavable heat exchange surface to reducecross-contamination and pro- Applicants invention is directed toward anovel twopart heat exchanger held mechanically together with the finnedplate and fan being easily separable from the refrigerant coil plate andbeing easily autoclaved once separated therefrom.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a heat-exchangesurface which is readily removable from the refrigeration system of acontrolled environment tent and sterilizable as, e.g., by autoclaving toreduce cross-contamination and provide the desired cooling of the tentatmosphere.

The foregoing objects and other objects, features and advantages willbecome apparent in the light of the following description and claimstaken with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the pediatricmist tent, the refrigeration system and heat exchange apparatusassociated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the humidification and heat exchanger;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the finned plate; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger.

3,552,141 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTReferring more specifically to the drawings with reference characters,in FIG. 1 a portable stand 10 supports a refrigeration unit 1 includingconventional compressor and condenser apparatus. A rectangular tube 2extends upwardly from the unit 1 and encloses the refrigerant lines.

The humidification and heat exchanger apparatus generally designated at11 in FIG. 1 comprises, as shown in FIG. 2 a conventional nebulizerassembly 5 having a water reservoir jar 12 and inlet 13 for connectionto a source of compressed air and/or pure oxygen as the case may be. Thegas fiow as in the conventional nebulizer draws moisture from thereservoir by negative pressure under venturi principles and supplies thecanopy with moisture particles carried thereby. Thus, the nebulizerassembly fitting into a canopy opening and supported by an arm 14 oftube 2 humidifies the closed environment and supplies fresh air and/ orpure oxygen thereto.

In the following disclosure it is to be noted that applicantdistinguishes the heat exchanger from the heat exchange apparatus inthat the latter does not include cooling coil plate 22 and blower motor411.

A second arm 15 of tube 2 supports the heat exchanger. The heatexchanger includes a cooling coil plate 22; a finned plate 21; and ablower unit 4 with motor 4a as shown in FIG. 4, shaft 49 extendingthrough coil plate 22 and finned plate 21, and blower wheel 8 fitted onshaft 49 within a cut-away at 30 of the cold fins 7. The finned plate 21has a condensation bottle 24 attached to a sheath 23 for receipt ofcondensate when the atmosphere within the tent contacts the cold fins 7and plate 21. Sheath 23 circumferentially surrounds fins 7 and extendsapproximately one-quarter of an inch beyond the fins so that canopy 6.can be snugly fit thereover. The sheath is preferably removable fromplate 21 to facilitate cleaning and autoclaving.

A tube 50 connects sheath 23 with nebulizer assembly 5 to provide an airpassage from the sheath-tent environment to the nebulizer body. Thevelocity with which the air is entrained into the nebulizer (due to theblower and compressed gas) assists in propelling the nebulizer generatedfog into the tent.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the heat exchange apparatus comprises afinned 'plate 21, preferably of cast aluminum with radially extendingfins 7 integrally attached on one side thereof. The plate fins 7 are cutaway at 30 to receive the blower wheel -8 while the plates 21 and 22each have a hole for receiving the motor shaft 49. Attached to the heatexchange apparatus and, specifically, finned plate 21 by, e.g., thumbscrews 16 is cooling coil plate 22, preferably an aluminum castingenclosing spirally configured refrigerant coil 20, preferably made ofcopper. The coil plate could merely be a flat aluminum sheet pressingthe coil 20* against plate 21. In either case, the coil is in fluid flowrelation with the refrigerant lines in tube 2 for recirculation ofrefrigerant through unit 1.

In operation the nebulizer assembly supplies moisture to the canopywhile refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant lines and coil 20.Coil 20 cools finned plate 21 which by blower circulatory action coolsthe canopy atmosphere with which it comes into contact. When anotherpatient is to utilize the tent, the finned plate 21, the blower wheel 8and the sheath 23, which were the only heat exchanger components to havecome into substantial contact with the canopy atmosphere of the previouspatient, are removed from the coil plate 22 and shaft 49 and sterilizedas by autoclaving to reduce cross-con- 3 tamination of patients thereby.The nebulizer assembly 5 can also be removed and sterilized.

It is intended that all matter contained in the above description orshown in the accompanying drawing shall be considered illustrative andnot in a limiting sense. For purposes of definition, the term cleaningprocedures shall be considered to include sterilizing.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A controlled environment tent construction in combination with anenvironmental conditioning system, said tent construction comprising acanopy overlying and enclosing a patient support, said environmentalconditioning system comprising mechanical refrigeration apparatus andheat exchange apparatus, said refrigeration apparatus includingrefrigerant cooling and transporting means, said transporting meansincludes a cooling coil in association with first plate means, said heatexchange apparatus being in contact with the tent environment through anopening in said canopy for cooling said environment and being releasablysecured to said transporting means in heat conducting relation theretoto permit easy removal of said exchange apparatus for cleaningprocedures, said heat exchange apparatus includes second plate meanswhich comprises a plate having fins extending radially on one sidethereof, said finned plate having an opening therethrough with the finsbeing cut-away adjacent said opening, and said heat exchange apparatusfurther includes a blower wheel extending into said cut-away and beingfitted on a motor shaft extending through said opening and a sheathcircumferentially enclosing said fins and extending from the finnedplate into said canopy such that the tent environment can be forceablybrought into and out of contact with the second plate means by theaction of said blower wheel to cool said environment.

2. A controlled environment tent construction in combination with anenvironmental conditioning system, said tent construction comprising acanopy overlying and enclosing a patient support, said environmentalconditioning system comprising mechanical refrigeration apparatus andheat exchange apparatus, said refrigeration apparatus includingrefrigerant cooling and transporting means, said transporting meansincluding a cooling coil in association with a first plate means, saidheat exchange apparatus positioned within the overlying canopy incontact with the tent environment for cooling said environment andincluding second plate means in heat conducting relationship with saidfirst plate means, said heat exchange apparatus being releasably securedto said transporting means whereby said transporting means is protectedfrom contact with the tent environment.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein said heat exchangeapparatus further includes a blower wheel within the tent environmentfitted on a motor shaft extending through an opening in said secondplate means and a sheath circumferentially surrounding said second platemeans and extending into said canopy such that the tent environment canbe forceably brought into and out of contact with the second plate meansby the action of said blower wheel to cool said environment.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said sheath furtherincludes means for collecting condensate formed on said second platemeans.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1958 Netteland 128l91 8/1962Andrews 128l9l U.S. Cl. X.R. 128--194

